My Liberation 6

6.Chapter 6 A Soap Opera

Noah rolled his eyes at Evelyn, huffing, “I don’t want a shameless mom like her. Claire’s way better.”

He tugged on Adrian’s hand and swayed it. “Dad, can you just divorce her and marry Claire? I want Claire to be my mom.”

Evelyn had never imagined that one day, the son she brought into the world with her life would become the sharpest blade aimed at her heart.

While Clarissa’s pregnancy stung a lot, it was nowhere near as painful as hearing her own son say he didn’t want her.

Evelyn closed her eyes, trying to hold herself together. But no matter how hard she tried to act strong, the tears betrayed her.

Clarissa crouched down beside Noah, gently stroking his soft curls with a motherly tenderness. “Noah, sweetie, your mom loves you more than anyone in the world. Saying things like that could really hurt her.”

Noah tilted his head, his voice full of childlike certainty. “But Claire, I really really like you. Can’t you just be my mom?”

Evelyn looked at her son, and the pain washed through her like a wave, drowning every inch of her.

Clarissa’s eyes were soft, her voice still gentle, but the look she gave Evelyn held barely concealed triumph.

“Evelyn, don’t forget your place. You’re taking this too far,” Adrian said coolly, as if nothing unusual was happening.

However, Evelyn knew he was angry. She clenched her jaw, thinking bitterly, ‘You’re warning me? Do you remember you’re a married man? With a pregnant mistress, and you want to lecture me about boundaries?

‘I haven’t even done anything inappropriate, but now I’m the one to be reminded of how to behave?’

Evelyn used to tiptoe around Adrian’s and Noah’s moods, always the one smoothing things over. But now, after finally seeing their true colors, she didn’t see the point anymore.

She ignored Adrian completely and looked straight at Clarissa. “If you’ve really got what it takes, convince him to finalize the divorce. Unless you want that baby born with ‘illegitimate’ written on the birth certificate.”

Then she turned to Nathan, her voice tight but composed. “Mr. Ford, can you help me call my father? Have him come here and sign for my surgery.”

Evelyn had hoped not to involve her father, William, in this mess, but since Adrian turned her down, she had no choice.

Nathan didn’t hesitate but nodded. “Alright.”

He bent down and effortlessly lifted Evelyn into his arms. But just as he turned to go, Adrian stepped forward and blocked the way.

He warned, “Evelyn, he’s not someone you should get involved with. You know what my bottom line is. This is your last shot. Apologize to Claire, and I’ll let it go.”

Nathan Ford’s name was enough to shake the whole city’s business world, and Adrian had never gotten the upper hand when dealing with Nathan. So now, seeing Evelyn in Nathan’s arms, he was rattled.

Adrian spat out those words like a warning, but Evelyn didn’t take a single word seriously.

‘I’m literally in pain, on the verge of passing out, and this jerk still wants me to apologize to his mistress?’ she thought bitterly, her stomach twisting harder with every second.

She let out a dry laugh and retorted, “Get away, Adrian. You honestly make me sick.”

Another wave of pain tore through Evelyn’s abdomen, and she let out a muffled groan.

Nathan’s face stayed calm, but his eyes were sharp as glass as he looked down at Adrian, who barely reached his nose.

“Move.” His tone was icy, and the pressure in his voice made Adrian’s chest tighten without even knowing why.

In that split second of Adrian’s distraction, Nathan carried Evelyn right past him and walked away without looking back.

“Dad, who is that guy? Why is he holding Mom?” Noah’s voice rang out, full of disbelief and rising fury.

Clarissa gently tugged on Adrian’s sleeve, saying, “Ady, if the baby is causing trouble for you, I’ll schedule a termination. I mean, I don’t want to let go of the baby either, but I don’t want to be the homewrecker.”

Halfway down the hallway and hearing every word, Evelyn let out a laugh.

She cursed inwardly, ‘She’s acting innocent now? Doesn’t want to be the homewrecker, yet somehow ends up pregnant with a married man’s kid. She really has no shame. But anyway, Adrian falls for that every time.’

After making sure Evelyn was settled, Nathan headed straight for the doctor’s office.

“Family of Evelyn Rivers, we’ll need a signature here to proceed with surgery,” a nurse called out.

Her voice was soft, but Adrian and Noah, who were supporting Clarissa, heard it clearly.

They exchanged a look. Then both turned around and started walking briskly toward the doctor’s office.

Clarissa was left standing alone in the hallway. The moment Adrian slipped out of reach, she clenched her fists tight by her sides, her nails digging into her palm. She cursed inwardly, ‘Damn Evelyn. That bitch!’

By the time Adrian and Noah pushed open the office door, the doctor was halfway through briefing Nathan on the situation of the surgery.

“We’ve explained the possible risks. If everything is understood, please sign here,” said the doctor while pointing at the very bottom of the page.

Nathan calmly reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a pen. He uncapped it, ready to sign when Adrian stormed in.

Adrian shouted, “What gives you the right to sign it? That’s my wife’s surgery.”

“Your wife?” Nathan looked up and met Adrian’s stare with a sneer. Without saying a word, he moved his hand and finished the signature in one swift motion, the pen leaving confident strokes across the page.

Standing up, Nathan capped the pen again, his tone even as he turned to the doctor. “If anything happens to her during surgery, I’ll take full responsibility. Make sure she gets your best team.”

Adrian lunged forward, trying to grab the consent form, but the doctor snatched it away and tucked it into his folder.

Evelyn, who had slowly made her way over, saw the scene just in time.

For a second, she’d thought Adrian had changed—maybe he’d come to sign for her.

However, to her disappointment, he didn’t just refuse to sign. He even tried to stop someone else from doing it. He just wanted her to die.

The doctor glanced nervously between the two towering men, both of them radiating tension. He swallowed hard, unsure how to stop them.

Then he spotted Evelyn leaning against the doorway, pale and barely upright.

The doctor rushed toward her, saying, “Oh, Evelyn, you shouldn’t be walking around. You’re already in too much pain. The specialist team is already prepping. Let me get you back to your room.”

Adrian’s face drained of color as he heard what the doctor said. Only then did he believe that she was really sick.

Then, the nurses wheeled a gurney into the office and carefully helped Evelyn lie on it.

Evelyn didn’t glance at Adrian or Noah. She just lay there with a cool face, letting the nurses wheel her toward the OR.

“Ouch! Dad, you’re hurting me,” Noah cried, tears springing to his eyes.

Adrian hadn’t even realized he was gripping Noah’s hand too tightly. He then said, “Sorry, Noah. Go back to Claire’s room, alright? I’ll come back soon.”

Noah murmured, “But Dad, I’m worried about Mom too.”

“Be good,” Adrian said gently, patting Noah’s shoulder. Noah had to nod.

*****

Just around the corner, those two nurses whispered in hushed tones, “You heard that? Clarissa looks so sweet, but turns out she’s the other woman. Evelyn is not simple. Did you see her with Horizon Group’s CEO? I bet they have a story.”

The other nurse replied, “Tsk, rich people’s lives are a whole soap opera.”